


Like spring and summer (our love blossoms and deepens)

by coffecolors



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Beach Holidays, Domestic Fluff, EXO seasonal fest, First Love, Fluff, Graduation, Idiots in Love, Implied First Time, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Requited Unrequited Love, Slow Build, Summer Vacation, Teen Romance, mentions of Kaisoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:20:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25369759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffecolors/pseuds/coffecolors
Summary: "So your dog peed on my fence. This won't do. I'm gonna have to ask for compensation. Your phone number, IG username should suffice. (In which Baekhyun is new in the neighborhood and Chanyeol might be head over heels with him.)"
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 14
Kudos: 66
Collections: Round 4: Spring and Summer





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is Blossom #29, written for EXO SEASONAL FEST. 
> 
> To the prompter, here is a lot of F L U F F and I hope I did justice to your idea with this piece although the whole story doesn't revolve exactly around the prompt.
> 
> To the Mods, thank you so much for being so kind, comprehensive, and patient with me throughout the whole process, I'll always be thankful. 
> 
> To my beta, I know we probably won't ever want see this work again in our lives because of how much we struggled with this but without you this piece couldn't even be completed. ♡U.
> 
> To the reader, I hope you enjoy this work full of cheesiness. <3

It’s a beautiful spring morning. Chanyeol’s reading the newspaper while his husband is too busy devouring a whole stack of pancakes. Sehun, their seven-year-old son, is playing with his little toys in front of the TV with their old dog resting beside him before it’s time to go to school.

They’re happy like this, waking up at ungodly early hours so they can have quality time together before a long day. It’s the least they can do if they want to have a delicious breakfast and spend time with their son. Today’s Friday, they can afford to resist a little bit more before they can fully enjoy their weekend. Chanyeol cannot wait to come home and cuddle with his husband the whole night… or that’s what Chanyeol hopes if Sehun is kind enough to not interrupt and ask for them to let him sleep between the two.

Everything is pretty calm until a certain little kid stops playing, approaching his parents and slowly taking a seat between them. They both look at their son's direction, curious.

“Papa… are you two in love?”

They are shocked at the sudden question, because how can he have that kind of doubt, especially at this early hour in the morning. Chanyeol should be surprised by now, but if he could tell the kind of questions that Sehun has asked them, anyone would be shocked.

“Uh, why the sudden curiosity, sweetheart?” It’s Chanyeol who answers first since Baekhyun has his mouth stuffed with pancakes.

“Our teacher told us a love story yesterday” Sehun starts speaking again, who stopped playing with his figures to soon join them on the table. “And teacher Kyungsoo also told us that parents get married because they are in love”

“Yeah, champion, that’s right”

Sehun fidgets for a while on his seat, and then decides to ask for something else: "You love Papa, right?”

Baekhyun chokes on his coffee. Chanyeol hadn't thought about it in all those years but it wasn't necessary either, he is still head over heels for his husband. Now he was more curious to know what kind of things his son was being taught at school.

“Huh, honey, you love Papa, right?” Baekhyun is now questioning with a cocky smile all plastered on his face, and he starts to think why is he being targeted of all sudden. 

“Of course” Chanyeol starts “I love him so, so much”

“Okay then!” Sehun sounds relieved, almost like it was the answer he was expecting all morning.

“Papa, and you love Daddy too?” Sehun remains with doubts in his mouth and it seems that he is never satisfied. Now Chanyeol has the chance to show a smirk.

“Yes, I love your Daddy like crazy”

“Teacher Kyungsoo also told us that you can fall in love many times! Is that right?”

Sehun, he looks so adorable talking about that. So tiny and so innocent. Chanyeol comes closer, kissing his son’s forehead because he’s too cute to resist.

“Isn’t it too soon to teach them about love? Why is Kyungsoo teaching that now?” Baekhyun whispers in his ear a second later.

“Can you tell me your story? So I can tell uncle Kyungsoo how you two fell in love!”

Maybe it’s not a good idea, because if Baekhyun starts talking, he’s gonna be so late to take his son to school and that implies receiving a scolding from his coach because he’s gonna be late for training.

Now, how do you explain love to a seven-year-old?


	2. Chapter 2

The first time Chanyeol fell in love was when he was hanging out with his best friend Jongin. It was a spring night, perfect for a heavy basketball match. They were heading to the park nearby when they saw a moving truck right across the street from his house.

“Oh, look!” Jongin pointed out “Someone finally just moved into that big house! Wanna see who are they?”

“Sure, why no-?” He stopped mid-sentence, catching a glimpse of their new neighbors, more specifically, a young boy playing with his dog in the front garden.

It was like time just stopped for a whole minute or two, but Chanyeol couldn’t take his eyes off of the new neighbor, it felt like seeing him in slow motion which made him appreciate the view even more. Was this fate? Was that what love at first sight felt like? Because Park Chanyeol could give a talk at his school about that right in that instant.

He swore to God he had never seen such a beautiful human in his life, and he would’ve kept staring at him like a fool if it wasn’t for Jongin who slightly pushed him to get him back to his senses.

“Wanna say hello? We can invite him to play…” If Jongin said anything else, he didn’t listen. He was busy staring at the potential love of his life.

Chanyeol blushes furiously when he notices that the boy was watching them and… he literally runs away, not being able to witness how the new neighbor greets them in his attempt to make friends. Jongin was quick to let out a hurried “hello” first before running after his friend.

“Chan! Hey! Chanyeol!” Jongin was quickly running out of breath. Chanyeol stopped after several blocks, but he switched to speed walking. 

“Chanyeol!” Jongin screamed for the last time and just then his friend stopped dead in his tracks.

“What?”

Chanyeol sounded too calm and relaxed for what just happened minutes ago. Jongin frowned.

“What do you mean _what?_ It’s what _to you,_ man! Can you fucking stop walking, I’m dying here! The sweat is making my glasses fall off!” 

“You should stop wearing glasses when we’re going to play basket”

“Oh right sorry for being _BLIND_ ”

  
  
“Get contact lenses then!”

“Buy them for me!”

Chanyeol pretty much growled. He just embarrassed himself in front of the cutest boy in town and now he was surely thinking he was just a weird teenager. 

Great, Park, _great._

“Really, bro” Jongin started again, calmer this time. “What happened?”

“Nothing, it’s just… I got a cramp and I had to run before it hit worse… I don’t know”

Jongin mumbled a perfect _“what the fuck”_ before reasoning that his friend was probably telling the truth, that Chanyeol was on the verge of crying because of a painful cramp.

“Sure, okay. You good now? We could maybe say hello after the game”

“No!”

“No?”

“I… I have a lot of homework to do you know. Let’s just play”

“I’ve never seen you like this. Why are you so red in the face?” Jongin crocked his eyebrows, clearly surprised. “Did you find the kid pretty?”

“No!” Chanyeol screamed louder.

“Alright! I was just jok—did you really find the new neighbor pretty?” Jongin started laughing and it got higher as Chanyeol got even redder.

Eventually, Chanyeol walked faster, with Jongin laughing out loud behind him.

* * *

The second time it happened, he was busy with Jongin in the garage. His father promised both of them to pay fifty dollars each if they cleaned and organized everything in there. Not an easy task, though, as you could tell by the amount of garbage and mess his father had accumulated in there for years, but they were on a mission for quick cash.

That's when he saw his new neighbor again.

He was walking with his precious samoyed (he had to do research on his own about the dog’s breed because he wouldn’t dare to ask the guy himself) and he just happened to pass in front of the garage when he suddenly turned his head and saw them inside, immediately heading their way, approaching _them._

“Hi! Uh, do you know where the closest supermarket is?”

Jongin felt like pulling a prank on him, telling the poor boy he had to walk three more blocks and turn right. The boy left before Chanyeol could save him from the long walk. All he really had to do was turn left on the next street.

Of all people, Jongin happened to be his best friend, a terrible one who made fun of him when he saw his face, heat reaching the tip of his ears. Seeing Chanyeol so affected wasn’t an everyday thing. 

“I’m serious, bro” Jongin started “Someday you’ll have to say hello or someone is gonna steal that boy away from you”

“I don't know what you're talking about. I don’t like him! He’s free to be with whoever he wants”

“Whatever you say, but I see that same face on Yixing when he sees his girlfriend”

“Is that so?” Chanyeol drops a box on the floor, about to snap “I could say the same about when you look at that boy in Math class. What was his name?” He thought for a moment. “Kyung…”

Jongin immediately turned shy. 

“Stop it! We’re talking about you” 

“Kyungsoo!”

“No! Leave me alone!”

“You leave me alone! And Baekhyun! You made him walk more than necessary, that’s mean!”

“Oooh, so it’s Baekhyun now”

  
  
“I’ve… Um, I might have heard his name by accident”

Jongin gagged. “Creepy”

“I’m gonna tell Kyungsoo that you like him”

“Watch your mouth, you asshole. Kyungsoo is just an adorable boy” Jongin threw an old and dirty cloth at his face and _oh, he shouldn’t have done that._

What was supposed to be cleaning the garage turned into a fight of who could throw the heaviest boxes and tools at each other. Truly a mess.

* * *

A week later, Chanyeol’s mother decided to organize a little welcome party for the new neighbors who seemed so kind. But why couldn’t they just send a basket with fruits and cookies like normal people? Yet, he had to dress up to welcome the new family. 

“Mom” Chanyeol was about to cry “Do we really have to do this? We should just… send a pie or something!”

“Yes, young man” His mother soon approached, fixing a wild hair on Chanyeol’s head with his thumb. “I want you on your best behavior, okay? They have two lovely sons you can befriend!”

He couldn’t help but blush.

All the close neighbors were gathered in his backyard, ready to introduce the new family to the community. Food, alcohol, snacks, everything was set to make them feel welcomed. 

And Jesus, not a single person in that family was ugly. He could easily have a crush on the older brother but… the younger one, he was so whipped already. How could a big boy like him, already 17 years old, be sweating bucks because of a damn kid? 

He wasn’t even gay. Or was he?

He discovered that night that indeed, he liked that kid whose name was Baekhyun. He had never felt that way, not even for Chaeyoung, that pretty girl in his class who batted her eyelashes at him every time she looked his way.

Throughout the welcome party, he tried to ignore his new neighbor, not because he had anything against him, but because he still felt like fainting every time they crossed paths. All week long he tried to leave early, trying not to run into him on his way to school, until one day he realized that Baekhyun, in fact, did _not_ attend the same school as him.

To say that he was disappointed was an understatement. 

A weird feeling inside bothered him when he saw Baekhyun talking to Jongin on the other side of the garden, finally introducing each other and laughing as if they were lifelong friends. It was so unfair. It should be him who was talking to him because after all, it was Chanyeol who lived right across the street. And it was him who had a cru—who liked him, he liked him more than Jongin.

He stood there by the entrance, sulking and imagining that he was approaching them and pulling Baekhyun away from his best friend’s claws. In fact, if he played his cards right, Chanyeol could say that he was actually jealous of stealing his best friend.

It wasn’t until he looked back at the two of them that he noticed Jongin got closer to Baekhyun, talking right on his ear and shooting glances at Chanyeol’s direction.

  
  
That idiot couldn't be talking about him, could he? No, it wasn't possible. 

He was one second away from running inside his house and simply locking himself in his room. He didn't have to stay at that stupid party after all, besides, what chance did Chanyeol have with Baekhyun? Jongin was definitely better looking, despite his horrible glasses... But no, Jongin _likes_ _Kyungsoo_. 

“Hi!” Baekhyun greeted him a few moments later, scaring the shit out of him because he didn’t see him coming—he truly was spacing out. “Oh, I’m sorry I scared you”

Chanyeol’s words were suddenly stuck in his throat and he furiously shook his head.

“I saw you the other day but you ran away… I hope my dog didn’t scare you too?”

“... No!” He screamed, like a total fool. “Not at all”

“And… you made me walk for like twenty minutes the other day” Baekhyun commented lightly, even letting out a laugh, but the tall boy still felt bad.

“I am so sorry! It wasn’t me! It was Jongin, this asshole thought it would be funny”

  
  
“Don't worry, it’s okay. Thanks to that I got to explore the neighborhood a bit more. It’s pretty”

_Not as pretty as you._

“I’m Baekhyun, by the way.” The boy extended his hand and Chanyeol looks at it for what it seems like an eternity. 

He must have stared for too long, but he was gone admiring it. Not only was his face beautiful, but his hands were also beautiful, not to mention his name. _Baekhyun_ suited him perfectly.

“I’m Chanyeol” He provided with a big smile.

* * *

Everything went pretty smooth after that, they would quietly play basketball or sometimes Baekhyun would just watch them play while he laid on the ground resting; his dog, though, was always happy to participate and play with them. It was a beautiful Samoyed named Ryong, who loved chasing cats, playing with a frisbee, pee everywhere, and trying to stick his teeth into Chanyeol’s shoes.

Summer came pretty quickly and the entire neighborhood decided to raise funds for a trip to the beach. The preparations began a month ago, wanting to take advantage of the nice summer weather to enjoy a nice trip together. Chanyeol prayed every Sunday in the church and asked the Lord of Heaven for the Byun family to go on that trip.

As if God had heard his constant prayers, Baekhyun’s family joined the activity as soon as the departure was announced.

And there he was, sunbathing with Jongin. He was about to turn around to get an even tan when someone threw a frisbee that went right into his direction, smacking him on the mouth. The pain was immediate and his first instinct was to kneel on the sand and cover his lips with both hands. He didn’t even notice Baekhyun, the culprit of his pain, approaching as fast as he could. 

“Chanyeol! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to throw it at you. Are you okay? God, you're bleeding! I’m so, so sorry”

The boy panicked when Chanyeol removed his hand from his mouth and saw that he had a stain of blood on his lips. Chanyeol could barely speak. First, because Baekhyun didn’t even let him say that he was fine and second because his mouth burned too much, he even felt like he had a loose tooth from the impact.

He needed to make a quick run to a bathroom stall, not caring about leaving his crush behind with a worried expression. Jongin ran after him to make sure he was okay. 

“Damn, destiny is putting dick right into your mouth” Jongin teased but he was actually a little bit right. 

Maybe fate was playing tricks on him, putting who knows what right on his face, because inside his mouth he had a river of blood running through his gums. All he wanted was to find his mom so he could cry for a while because shit, he couldn’t feel his mouth at this point.

“Love hurts,” Jongin said as he patted him on the back.

Indeed, it hurt like hell.

That same day, after putting some ice on his wounded mouth, Chanyeol decided to stay on the shore to watch the sunset while Jongin was busy on the portable bathroom after having eaten a crazy amount of shrimp.

He could hear the noise of the waves crashing against the coast so perfectly. He felt the sand in his feet and the cold, salty water hitting his skin. He needed that solitude, at least for a few moments.

“Excuse me…”

That voice, my god. When he turned around, he saw the boy with his giant pet next to him. He wondered if that dog had a magnet for tragedy. 

“Can I sit with you?” Baekhyun spoke again and Chanyeol did nothing but nod because he was still in pain to evoke a word. As a result, Baekhyun’s dog sat first in between him and its owner. 

“Thank you. I wanted to see the sunset too” His voice was velvety, soft like cream.

“Uh, uhum”

“Listen. I hope I can do something for you, to… you know, apologize for that huge bruise on your mouth?”

Chanyeol nodded again, but in reality, he had no idea what he could ask in return. 

Suddenly he remembered Jongin’s words and the idea of going on a date didn’t sound so crazy now. Well, Baekhyun could say no if he wanted but maybe… No, absolutely no, that would scare him away, he didn’t even know if he liked boys. 

At some point Baekhyun's dog decided to leave, preferring to go play in the water, and since they were left completely alone, the silence became too heavy between them.

“Surely you can't talk, I'm sorry”

“I can”

“Uh?”

"It just... still hurts” He gestured pointing to his broken upper lip. 

His heart twist and turned as Baekhyun got so much closer, their bodies brushing against each other because of the sudden closeness. 

“I'm really sorry” Again, Baekhyun was apologizing, and if his mouth wasn't on fire just by opening it, he'd say that he didn't want any more apologies because that meant that at least later on they'd have something in common to talk about or something to laugh about together. 

They remained in silence soon after, just looking at the horizon together, letting the soft breeze caress their faces. Chanyeol could die happy just like that, with a swollen lip and Baekhyun getting closer to rest his head on his shoulder out of nowhere. 

_Oh no._

Chanyeol was unable to sit still, in fact, he heard his heart beating like crazy and he was afraid that Baekhyun might hear it at any moment, so he got up abruptly to go play with Ryong, inviting Baekhyun to get in the water as well with a gesture.

He had nothing else to do but vent about it with Jongin that night back at the hotel, well, avoiding some embarrassing parts like how he was about to die when Baekhyun was near.

“Damn, you're on fire for that boy” Jongin laughed. 

“I got sunburned, don't be an idiot. And instead of red, you got darker than usual”

“Say that again and I'm going to-”

“Could you stop saying weird things every time we see Baekhyun?”

Another laugh. “Sorry”

“Thank you” Chanyeol sighed.

“But I'm sure you want to fuck him until he passes out.”

Fuck, he was going to kill him. “Jongin!”

“I _had_ to say it!”


	3. Chapter 3

Life passed at an amazing speed. 

His friendship with Baekhyun blossomed in a wonderful manner right after their beach vacation, Chanyeol could not describe it in any other way. He was able to see Baekhyun every time he returned home from school and even though they weren't the best of friends, they were close enough to trust each other with a few things. Like complaining about Jongin’s antics, letting it out when an exam was too hard and it was messing with their grades and life after high school, stuff like that. They even grew comfortable enough to sleep at each other’s places—or Jongin’s too since he was the one who came up with the sleepover plans first.

Baekhyun's parents and his family got along more than well, and the closer they got, the more he had the opportunity to see Baekhyun at home, which meant even more time with his crush in his room watching movies or listening to Chanyeol's father's old vinyl records. Baekhyun spent more time than usual at Chanyeol's house instead of his own, but his mother was more than happy to have visitors, to have a _Byun_ as a visitor.

Soon the sleepovers were even more frequent than before—although he wished Jongin wouldn’t join most of them so he could spend more time alone with Baek, yet he had to thank him for helping him out when Chanyeol ran out of things to say; it was obvious the second-hand embarrassment was too much for Jongin to handle. 

He learned Baekhyun would usually disappear during winter, going to his old town to spend the holidays with the rest of his family and Chanyeol missed him miserably all the time he was away. It was supposed to be their first Christmas together and he had bought a vinyl player for him—he began saving up for it around August. He was sad he wouldn’t be able to give it to him on Christmas day.

Chanyeol wanted to call him so bad, but right when he had the intention of saying Merry Christmas that morning, he had an aha moment: after six months knowing each other, they hadn’t exchanged phone numbers. Now that he was aware of this tragedy, he realized he didn’t even know how to contact him. Instagram? Nowhere to be found. Facebook? Chanyeol didn’t have an account, he never understood how that worked. 

_GREAT._

So like a loser and an old-school man, he wrote a letter. Not that he was going to send it, he didn’t even know where Baekhyun was and he seriously doubted he would actually give it to Baekhyun when he came back.

In love Chanyeol was. Deeply, madly in love with Byun Baekhyun and he needed to let it out of his system. Not that he was going to confess directly anytime soon, but it was the best remedy for his poor heart to feel at ease.

Undying, hardcore love written down in three pages of cheap paper with ugly and smudged handwriting—courtesy of when he thought it was a good idea to spray some cologne right on the paper so it could smell like him. _Terrible idea._ But anyway, it resulted in a secret letter that he put in a beautiful blue envelope, which then was placed inside a vinyl he didn't even listen to anymore. No one would ever find it. _Love Over Gold_ by Dire Straits would hide his secret.

Chanyeol would need to swallow his feelings a little bit more.

When Baekhyun came back in January, he tried to come up with several ideas to ask for his number in the smoothest way he could think of. Huh. Being straightforward and ask for it? Like a moron? No way.

He tried to bring the subject in one of their sleepovers, a perfect time to exchange Christmas gifts _and_ phone numbers. There, sitting in the middle of Chanyeol’s room, he pulled a big box covered in gift wrapper with printed hearts.

“So, about your Christmas gift...” He cleared his throat before continuing, pushing the box to Baekhyun’s side “I know how much you like my dad’s vinyl player and…”

Baekhyun gasped, grabbing the box at an amazing speed. “Oh no, you didn't!”

“Yes, I did!”

“Oh my god but Chanyeol this is so expensive how did you-”

“Shh, it’s a secret”

  
  
Baekhyun’s smile was the reason for all the times he had to skip take out or hanging out with his high school friends, being rewarded with a tight, heartwarming hug was better than a thousand thank yous and a soft kiss on his right cheek never felt so good.

“Now open it and I’ll bring some discs to play. What’s the mood for today?”

“No! Wait, I still have to give you my gift. Stay still” Baekhyun got up, looking inside his little suitcase to finally pull out a little box with a ribbon on top.

A gift! The first thing Baekhyun had ever given him for Christmas. You bet he was quick to unwrap it. He couldn't help but feel thrilled; he still hasn’t gotten over his first birthday present from him: a set of basketball shorts that he made sure to wear every time he could and he washed them very carefully by himself.

His smile dropped when he opened the box.

“A… frisbee?”

“Yes, I know how much you like it. And you can play with Ryong”

“Uh… thank you?”

Moments later, a loud, exaggerated laugh was heard through his entire house. Baekhyun was having the time of his life while Chanyeol was in the middle of having war flashbacks; he could still feel the pain in his mouth from last summer. _Ouch._

“Oh my god, your face!” Baekhyun wiped a tear from his right eye when he calmed down “Okay, I’m not an asshole, that was just a joke. Here’s your real gift”

_“Holy… fuck”_

In his hands, there was a signed t-shirt. Signed by none other than Ha Seung-jin, the best basketball player in Korea and he had his fucking signature right there, on a piece of cloth.

“You know how my brother is really into basketball as well and when we were in Seoul we went to a game. We were close to the gates and there was this player you’ve shown me before signing stuff! I knew you would have loved being there” _Of course_ , thought Chanyeol, _but not exactly because of the player only._ ”Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything else he could sign so...”

“Is this _your_ t-shirt?!” Chanyeol had never screamed so loud in his life.

“Yes! I… I was afraid to wash it because I’m not sure if the ink is permanent but I promise I took it off as soon as I got home! I even sprayed some perfume on it. It’s not stinky at all, I don’t really sweat” 

“Oh my god!” He was about to pass out any minute. He wanted to sniff it right away, but no, that would be creepy.

“I’m sorry because this is not… as expensive as yours, that must have costed you a fortune. I promise I’ll pay you ba-”

“What! Absolutely not!”

He got a two for one deal and there was only one thing left to do: hug the hell out of Byun Baekhyun. And he did, tightly, refusing to let go for five solid minutes. Baekhyun held him tighter as well. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” It was only then that he challenged himself to be bold and after a heavy sigh, he pulled away from the hug and gave him a long kiss on his cheek.

If he wasn’t so shy, he would have noticed the slight blush on Baekhyun’s face. 

“So, is the frisbee actually for Ryong?”

“Oh no, that’s still yours” he reaffirmed, not being able to hold back a few giggles.

_So beautiful._ He didn’t mind being teased every day if he could have Baekhyun like this, smiling at him only. He was so whipped he completely forgot about asking for his number. Crap.

* * *

At the beginning of Spring, Baekhyun was finally graduating and he kindly invited Jongin and him to the ceremony.

Chanyeol couldn't sit still during the ceremony, not when he could see Baekhyun being too close with a tall, blond boy who was talking in his ear. He never got to know any of Baekhyun’s friends… maybe only that boy Jongdae who visited sporadically to do projects or to play basketball with them.

_So who the fuck was that guy and why was he so damn handsome?!_

“Dude, stop fidgeting” Jongin elbowed him.  
  


* * *

  
  


“Baekhyun, congratulations!” Jongin spoke first. “Here are some chocolates… but one of them is missing, they were like that when I bought them, sorry man”

“Sure, Jongin… I bet that one chocolate was delicious” Baekhyun rolled his eyes and then, he looked at Chanyeol, providing a soft smile. “Chanyeol, hey” 

And Chanyeol didn't even have time to congratulate him or give him the flowers he bought for him because before he could say or do anything, Baekhyun started introducing his blond friend.

“Guys, this is my friend Wufan. He's from China" Baekhyun's smile was unreadable. "Wufan, this is Chanyeol and Jongin. They're my neighbors” 

“It's my pleasure to meet you. Baekhyun is always talking about you two”

“That's not true! I even spend more time with you than with them”

Those words hurt even for Jongin, who elbowed Chanyeol on his ribs for the second time in the day, silently telling him to give Baekhyun the bouquet.

“Uh, Baek…” He started and Baekhyun turned his attention to him again “These are for you. I know you like tulips”

“Oh, _Chanyeollie_ … thank you. They're beautiful” Their fingers touched when he put the bouquet onto his beautiful hands, suddenly the atmosphere turning dense. 

Everyone could see Chanyeol's love shooting through his eyes directly at Baekhyun. He was about to say something else, but Baekhyun spoke first. 

"Wanna have lunch with us? My parents are waiting for us at the restaurant. Jongdae's also joining and a couple of other friends”

Jongin agreed for both of them.

It was the longest and most stressful lunch of his life because, all of a sudden, Chanyeol felt like he had become smaller while sitting at that table where everyone talked cheerily about everything and anything, even Jongin fitted in perfectly, looking like he was long-time friends with all of Baekhyun’s friends. On the other hand, Chanyeol wasn’t even able to say more than three or four words, feeling self-conscious about not being interesting enough he opted for staying quiet most of the time. But it wasn’t only because of that. Seeing his crush so close to that Wufan guy was a bit too painful for his heart, they talked nonstop and he almost choked when he noticed Baekhyun putting pieces of meat on the blond’s plate. What was that! Was it the end? Did Baekhyun like Wufan?

After lunch, one of them—Junmyeon, if he remembered correctly, invited them to who knows where. Jongin was in straight away, but Chanyeol didn’t share the same enthusiasm as his friend. He couldn’t stand being with Baekhyun this way anymore, nor pretend he was enjoying being there, so far from him.

“Chanyeol? You coming?” The cause of his heartache asked and he, feeling a bit like an asshole for rejecting his invitation on such an especial day for him, just shook his head. 

“No, I think I’ll head home first. My stomach hurts from eating so much”

“What? That’s straight bulls-” Jongin was about to start complaining but he interrupted him immediately. 

“I really need to go home. Have fun!”

“Wait! We can take you, dear,” Mrs. Byun said with a lovely smile “We are heading home too. Those kids need their time alone and Ryong must be going crazy being home alone”

“Thank you, I’ll appreciate the ride, Mrs. Byun,” he smiled back at her, then turned to Baekhyun and his friends “Again, it was a pleasure to meet you all and congratulations. I’ll see you later then”

He saw Baekhyun opening his mouth, but he ran to the parking lot as soon as he said goodbye. He didn’t want to find out if he wouldn’t be able to resist if Baekhyun insisted for him to stay.

And there he was, sitting in the backseat with the tulips he gave Baekhyun earlier, listening to Mr. Byun’s old music that, in a way, helped his tense muscles to relax.

“You okay, sweetheart?” He completely forgot about the stomachache for a second and it was then that he resumed his complaining.

“Yeah, it’s hurting a lot...”

“Awh. I hope you get lots of rest at home, honey. Baekhyunnie wanted to invite you for dinner but I guess you had enough food for today”

_“Oh”_

After saying goodbye to Baekhyun's parents he immediately sprinted to his room, ignoring his mom's questions about their neighbor. He even tried to ignore her when she later came to his room, asking if he was okay, asking if something happened that afternoon.

"It just hurts..." Hence his stomach wasn't the one hurting right now, his heart decided to take his part and squeeze itself at the mere thought of Baekhyun.  
  
  


"Aren't you going to Baekhyun's dinner?" She softly asked, petting his hair.

"Why am I the only one who didn't know about said dinner, mom? The Byun's just mentioned it like second ago" He complained. 

"Because you're like family, sweetheart. You don't even need a formal invitation..." His mom was right, maybe, since he was supposed to spend the day with Baekhyun all day. "But if your stomach is hurting then stay in bed and I'll make you some tea"  
  
  


He spent the rest of the day feeling stupid, trying to decide if he should just show up at whatever restaurant the dinner was going to be held, or maybe go to Baekhyun's house and tell his parents that he was feeling better. But then he decided to just do nothing until he heard loud laughs through his window, among them, Baekhyun's. Feeling like a fool, _again_ , he realized that the dinner Mrs. Byun was talking about was to celebrate his graduation _at home_ , which included all of Baekhyun's closest friends. He wanted to cry and throw a fit when he saw Jongin enter his neighbor's house as well, while he had to see from his window how every chance, every opportunity he had, was like water running through his fingers. In fact, he may have let out a tear or two when Jongin sent him a message minutes later _._

**_Jonginnie_ ** _  
__Dude, why aren’t u coming_

He never felt so stupid before and never in his life, it hurt so bad to reply to a message.

**_Chanyeol_ ** _  
__Still sick_

That same night Chanyeol sat alone on the entrance of his own home, still feeling like a loser as he looked straight at Baekhyun's house with an obvious bitter expression on his face. He could hear all of them laughing in there, with Baekhyun's laughter being the most notorious amongst them all. Wufan and Jongdae were there along with a few more classmates slash close friends he didn't remember the names of.

It was stupid. He had no right to demand to know every single detail about Baekhyun's life. It's not like they were the best of friends, even if he stayed at his place more often than not that it looked like that was his actual home, that didn't mean anything. He didn't even have his damn phone number and it seemed Baek wasn't even aware of that. 

Anyway, he could allow himself to feel a little bit jealous. He wanted to be there celebrating with Baekhyun, but instead, he was just sulking there. Maybe Jongin was right. “ _He’s not gonna be here forever, either you get his number or forget about him already,_ ” his friend told him one day. Maybe he was supposed to forget about a certain Byun Baekhyun who had him wrapped around his fingers (beautiful, slim fingers he wanted to hold and kiss).

He himself knew he was being kind of selfish. Baekhyun didn’t owe him shit, he had the right to be with whoever he wanted to. But Chanyeol had the right to feel offended and jealous because he wasn’t externalizing those feelings, no one else but himself would know about them. Those were his feelings and maybe he had to change them and be more comprehensive, rational. He didn’t want to complain anymore to Jongin for the time being because it was starting to get annoying. Chanyeol felt annoyed with himself. He had shit to figure out, but maybe he could leave that for tomorrow.

His own graduation was fast approaching and then it would be summer when Baekhyun would have to move away to live with his brother in Seoul since he got accepted at his dream university there. Don’t get him wrong, he was really happy for him, but he couldn’t wrap his mind around just how attached he grew to Baekhyun in barely one year and suddenly Baekhyun was no longer going to be there, but miles away. 

Drowning in self-pity, he lets himself be sad over the fact that he would never be able to confess to Baekhyun. What was he expecting anyway? To this day he still didn't know if his friend was into guys, or more specifically, if he was into _him._ It was better to bury those feelings and enjoy Baekhyun's company while it lasted. 

But what if he confessed? What if he could just tell him how crazy in love he was about him? What if Baekhyun felt the same, at the bottom of his heart? Well, maybe he was dreaming a little bit too much.

He was going over _what-ifs_ for the nth time when he saw Ryong running high speed towards him. 

“Hey, buddy, you okay?” 

The dog didn’t even pay him any mind before starting to run around his front garden. Awesome, now his crush’s dog was ignoring him too. He simply left Ryong to do as he pleased while keeping an eye on him so he wouldn’t start running into an actual stranger’s house.

Soon after Baekhyun came running after his dog who was just finishing peeing all over the flowers and the fence. 

“Ryong! Oh my god, _no!_ What are you doing?!” Right away Baekhyun attached a leash to Ryong’s collar, getting him away from the fence before he could keep peeing on Chanyeol’s garden, or worse before he _pooped_ all over the place.

Chanyeol stayed still, just staring at the love of his life and the way he handled his gigantic dog, then he saw him approaching with a big smile on his beautiful lips.

“Chanyeol, hi. Feeling better? I thought you were sleeping. Mom told me your tummy was really hurting and I was worried”

Ah right, his sickness.

“Yeah, I… feel better now. I was getting some fresh air here. I’m actually going back to bed” He stood up then, reaching for the doorknob before having to face Baekhyun again.

“Wait! Chanyeol, I…”

“Yeah?” Maybe his eyes were sparkling, but he turned to Baekhyun again. Chanyeol thought maybe he would say something about the dinner. Did he miss him being there?

“I apologize on Ryong's behalf. I don't know why this is turning into a habit of his. Last week he peed on Mrs. Kim flowers! It was so embarrassing”

  
  
_Hm. Disappointing._

Chanyeol sighed. 

“It’s okay, we gotta clean the garden this Saturday anyway… no big deal”

“Oh, let me help you then!”

“No!” Chanyeol was back at screaming. If Ryong could stop peeing everywhere, he would stop screaming every time Baekhyun was talking to him. “I mean, there's no need, dad is gonna pay me anyway and… you know. No need really"

“There has to be a way for me to compensate you”

Chanyeol gasped and Baekhyun looked at him like he was insane. He probably was, because this was his big chance to ask for his number! _Yes, Chanyeol, you go man!_

“Uhm. I think… _your-phone-number-and-Instagram-would-be-enough_ ”

“I'm sorry what?”

“I… I was just thinking that maybe you can compensate me by giving me your Instagram and phone number? I don't have it… and we've been friends for almost a year I think?”

“Oh! Right! Why on earth didn't we exchange numbers before?”

“I’ve asked myself that question way too many times before” He tried to joke to get rid of his nervousness as they exchanged phones to enter each other's numbers. 

After having saved Baekhyun's contact, he could finally let out a content sigh. Baekhyun promised to text him his Instagram username later and he couldn't be happier, although he still had all those doubts plaguing his mind.

“So… Wufan. You two seem pretty close”

“Yeah, we are, it’s just that he lives really far away and I always go to his place instead of him coming to mine” Chanyeol decided it was better not to ask any more questions. He pressed his lips together, trying to hold in any sob that could possibly come out of his mouth with all the assumptions running wild through his mind, but then Baekhyun just kept talking. “Actually we’re also celebrating he and her girlfriend are moving out together for college!”  
  
Wait, what. 

“...He has a girlfriend?!”

"Yes. She's really pretty, I’m envious… They have such a beautiful relationship”

It was sick to feel relieved with that newly discovered information, but Chanyeol felt like his soul was coming back to his body again. With that new knowledge, he truly couldn't be happier.

“Envious?”

“Yeah… I wish I had what they have. But uhm, I guess… I just have to wait, right?” Baekhyun lightly chuckled, embarrassed of his own confession. “One can never know who you will end up with” 

Words got stuck in his throat at the same moment Ryong started to go feral after having caught sight of a cat, stealing Baekhyun’s attention with it, away from the conversation.

“Sorry! I gotta leave now! This dog will end up breaking the leash and make me go after him around all the neighborhood. Everyone must be waiting for me too” Ryong started pulling the leash, as its owner predicted. “Hope you feel better and hopefully we can have dinner together another time! And sorry about Ryong!” 

With a stupid smile on his face, Chanyeol was left feeling starstruck as he watched Baekhyun go into his house once again. Now, he had some more things to think about. Like how his crush wanted a relationship and by that he may have meant he wanted to find a pretty girl as well to have his fairy tale; that obviously was discouraging. But just with that, he could not possibly know Baekhyun's feelings toward men, much less about him, and again that selfish feeling came back for even remembering how happy he felt when he found out he was not interested in Wufan. Wait. Maybe he _was_ into Wufan but couldn't prove it, _or_ he was interested in his girlfriend! The possibilities were endless and he was already making a whole dramatic movie inside of his head, full of confusion, misunderstanding, and suffering.

Running like he was in a marathon, he flopped onto his bed in no time. A ding alerted him of a new message and he smiled like never before when he saw who it was from. It was Baekhyun's first message ever. 

_**Baek** _   
_Hey!_   
_before I forget_   
_my ig is baekhyunee_byun_   
_talk to u later Chanyeollie!_

“baekhyunee_byun” was _adorable_ and he screamed at his pillow to release all the energy accumulated in his body after talking to the culprit of his mood swings. He quickly looked up the username and followed him without delay. When moments later he received the notification that Baekhyun followed him back, he decided that he could die in peace. How could it be that a while ago he was on the verge of crying and now he just wanted to shout out to the winds that he loved him.

_No, enough._

Hours later, another message on his KakaoTalk popped up on his screen. 

_**Baek**_ **_  
_** _Chanyeollie, I really missed you here today_ _  
__my friends told me they want to hang out with you some other time_ _  
__if that’s okay with you^^_

He shouldn’t be aiming for a fast reply, but he already read the message and there was no turning back and all he wanted to do was to talk with him even more. 

_**Chanyeol**  
_ _Absolutely!!!_ _  
__Sorry for missing dinner._ _  
__I’ll make it up to you._

They went on and on for hours until it was past midnight; talking about Ryong, about college applications. It wasn’t any different from their usual sleepovers where they would stay up until 6 am talking about whatever, but now he could tell Baekhyun used the laughing emoji a little bit too much, along with the blushy one.

At some point, the lack of reply warned him about his friend having already fallen into the world of dreams and he did not blame him, with all the celebration he must have been really exhausted. He thanked him immensely for sacrificing hours of sleep to talk to him.

However, his heart kept him awake for a couple more hours, looking at the approximately 300 photos in Baekhyun’s Instagram. In the latest photograph, he appears with his diploma, looking adorable in his mortarboard and gown. He realized that Wufan is in many of these photos, but in the last year, Chanyeol and Jongin also appear in his feed. 

He came across one particular picture, around January. With a _#BestGiftEver_ caption _,_ there was a picture of the vinyl player. With a smile on his face, Chanyeol closed his eyes and had the best sleep in months.

Everything was complicated, but at least, he finally got Baekhyun’s phone number. Things couldn't get any better.

April went by in the blink of an eye, it was full of text messages and time spent together. They grew closer than ever before and everything was going great until, one day, Baekhyun announced his birthday was just two days away and Chanyeol flipped out. 

_**Baek** **  
**Chanyeollie???_

Chanyeol’s mind went berserk as he hurriedly tried to come up with gift ideas, a wonderful gift he could get in the span of two days. To say he was freaking out was an understatement.

_**Baek**  
_ _um, will u be busy that day?_ _  
__if u can’t come to the birthday party it’s okay_

_**Chanyeol**  
_ _Nonono_ _  
__Sorry, got distracted for a bit_ _  
__Of course, I’ll be there!_ _  
__Thanks for inviting me_

_**Baek**  
_ _of course I would invite u_ _  
__u’re a VIP, okay?_ _  
__but shhh_

  
  
The heart-fluttering feeling in his chest after reading those messages would have been more intense if he wasn’t so distressed over the little time he had to find the perfect gift. Maybe he could use some help from his sister this time. 

* * *

Baekhyun looked straight up gorgeous on his birthday day and Chanyeol was so glad he had the chance to see him before the rest of his friends arrived. Earlier he offered to help him and his mom to set things up and now there he was, half an hour before the rest of the guests would arrive, admiring Baekhyun’s beauty in peace. They got everything covered already and now they were just talking in his room as they waited for the first guest to arrive. Well, second guest, since he was already there.

“Oh! Wait, I need to go back to my house real quick” He blurted out of nowhere, showing an apologetical smile for having interrupted Baekhyun so suddenly but the other only showed a confused expression. “I need to… grab something, I’ll be back in a second, okay?” And without further explanation, he got up and made a beeline for his house. He had to go back to get Baekhyun’s gift, he almost _forgot_. 

After his huge crisis, with Yoora’s help, he ended up getting delivered to their house a set of three cute bucket hats which Baekhyun loved. Chanyeol loved them too because they made Baekhyun look extra adorable. He thanked the heavens for the existence of express shipping. And Yoora was truly his savior because he went broke after spending all of his savings on the disc player and the little money he saved since then wasn’t enough. Without her support, he wouldn’t have been able to afford the ridiculous shipping fees.

It was all worth it in the end because the birthday boy loved them, and Chanyeol could die a happy man after seeing Baekhyun’s smile so wide once again. The tender kiss he received on his cheek as a thank you was just a plus, but he was eager to keep giving him beautiful presents if he could get more of those kisses in the future. Park Chanyeol was officially smitten.


	4. Chapter 4

Text messages and calls came in handy once Chanyeol got busy with final exams a few days after Baekhyun’s birthday and they couldn’t even have a night off anymore to catch up and stay up until morning watching movies. Still, Baekhyun came over to help with studying from time to time. Later he decided that if he wanted to succeed, Baekhyun had to be a million meters away so he could concentrate. Every time Baekhyun was explaining something to him, his mind went to wedding bells and children and endless kisses and lovely words he would say to him.

Once he successfully completed his exams, he screamed at the top of his lungs that he was free from that hell. He didn't like to study at all, he preferred any kind of sport that filled him with adrenaline. If he thought about it, being in love with Baekhyun was enough of a replacement for any soccer or basketball game. 

His eagerness to finish the exams and the preparations for graduation was due to the fact that after all that hustle and bustle, he would be able to return to his usual meetings with Baekhyun.

Apparently, he was too excited about that idea, because as soon as he saw Baekhyun at home, he could not help but embrace him as if his life depended on it. He did not even realize that his friend was hugging him back, again, except for the fact that Jongin was also present, clearing his throat to attract their attention. 

Everything went back to normal in a couple of days. The three of them spending their days together before time would take its toll reminded them that soon nothing was going to be the same again. After school, there were still too many things they had to take on as "adults". And that's what their conversations were based on most of the time, their fears about what life would bring them later. College, new friendships... Chanyeol was terrified of losing Baekhyun.

But he was also terrified of losing his best friend along the way. 

* * *

Chanyeol and Jongin invited Baekhyun to their own graduation at the end of Spring.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol helped Jongin to finally confess to Do Kyungsoo, a short boy with thick glasses and a shaved head. Chanyeol admitted he was actually a cute kid, but he never got to know him as thoroughly as Jongin.

Knowing that Baekhyun did not mind the situation of Jongin liking a boy gave him peace of mind about the matter, he was definitely a wonderful person and seeing him give Jongin his full support only made him more proud. 

“Alright. What's your plan?” Baekhyun asked the night before. They were busy sitting in Chanyeol's garden eating junk food while brainstorming ideas for what would be the perfect love confession for graduation day. Maybe he could take some notes, too.

“I don't have a plan!” Hearing Jongin complain like an infant didn’t surprise him, but him complaining about _someone else_ was totally new. Chanyeol had to buy a lot of ice cream so he could help his friend calm down, otherwise, he would be an insufferable ball of nerves.

“What if you give him flowers? I think it could be a nice touch if he likes that sort of thing. You know what he likes, Jongin? We have 24 hours to think of something nice”

“What about a letter?” He thought about the secret love letter he had secured in his room. 

"That's a good idea actually. Letters are beautiful…"

He blushed all the way up to his ears, then they had to help Kim Jongin write the cheesiest love letter ever. 

Their long night and heavy discussion resulted in Jongin buying the most expensive roses for the man of his dreams along with the most carefully crafted love letter in which he poured all of his feelings for Kyungsoo. 

Baekhyun was the one who had to watch the flowers for him while the ceremony was held. While Jongin was about to explode on his seat, Chanyeol kept on looking back to his crush between the audience. His heart leaped with joy when he saw Baekhyun next to his parents, holding a bouquet of beautiful roses against his chest. Without context, it looked like Baekhyun was the one trying to confess to someone.

He could only _dream._

Hidden behind a tree, Chanyeol and Baekhyun were waiting for Do Kyungsoo's reaction when Jongin finally confessed his undeniable love. Rejected or not, Jongin was willing to live with whatever response he would get in the next few minutes.

“You think this is gonna work?” Chanyeol asked in a whisper.

“I don’t know. Do you think Kyungsoo likes Jonginnie back?”

“He always glares at him, I don’t know if he hates him or he just looks at everyone that way”

“We’ll just have to wait then”

“Do we really need to hide? It’s ridiculous, we can just wait in-” Before Chanyeol could get out of their hideout, Baekhyun grabbed him by putting his arm around his waist to stop him from stepping away from the tree or he would ruin the beautiful scene that was unfolding in front of them a few meters away. 

“Stay still! You'll distract them if they see you getting out of nowhere, don't ruin their moment”

Probably it was nothing for Baekhyun, but for Chanyeol, who was having a religious experience right then and there, it was wonderful. His heart would normally explode from his presence only, but this was kinda different from the usual hugs they shared. Baekhyun was too close, slightly pressing his crotch against one of his legs.

_Fuckfuckfuck._

He felt like his poor ears were on fire, and his heartbeats could probably be heard from Mars. He could no longer pay attention to the lovely scene happening on the other side of the tree, too busy trying not to have improper thoughts. He was doing a good job until Baekhyun pressed him a bit more against his body while trying to get a better look.

  
  
“Chanyeollie! Look!”

It seemed planets aligned in favor of his best friend because as soon as Kyungsoo finished reading the letter, he jumped straight to Jongin's arms. Do Kyungsoo, who had the evilest stare in the world, was now showing a full eye smile directed at Jongin, soon after stealing a kiss from his best friend’s lips.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol gasped at the same time.

* * *

Summer hit like never before. Unbearable heat led to shirtless sleepovers and more skin to display. 

He felt more and more frustrated with each passing day because Baekhyun seemed to show no mercy for him, wearing the shortest shorts he could find as if that was legal. Actually, they weren't that short, but for Chanyeol, the slightest bit of exposed skin caused a whole commotion inside of him, his hormones were _raging_.

One of those days in the comfort of his room, Chanyeol had to put a pillow over his crotch because Baekhyun kept rubbing his legs against his while playing video games. It was the most harmless touch honestly, but his dick decided to take an interest in the said matter.

He was getting the hang of controlling his body reactions mid-game when his mother knocked on the door before peeking her head inside. 

“Baekhyun, honey, your brother’s looking for you”

Besides the fact that he was having serious problems controlling himself, every time Baekbeom came looking for his brother a heavy empty feeling settled inside of him. That was enough for his little friend to calm down at last.

“Alright, Mrs. Park. I’ll get going then”

Baekhyun turned off his game controller, leaving it on the floor, and grabbed his bag after having spent the whole weekend with him. And Chanyeol, he just kept his eyes glued to the screen. They were suspended in an awkward pause as if it hurt for both of them having to part ways despite literally living right across each other. Chanyeol was already missing the cute puppy noises he made every night while sleeping.

Before leaving, Baekhyun looked at the vinyl collection for a couple of seconds, entertaining thoughts of wanting to finally use his own vinyl player. Chanyeol gave it to him since January and to this day he still hadn't been able to use it. He hadn’t had the chance to save money for that and he always forgot to ask Chanyeol to lend him one, until now. 

“Hey, Chanyeol, do you mind if I grab one of your discs? I haven’t been able to buy any yet”

“Really? Go ahead. Pick whatever you like” Chanyeol was too distracted playing again trying to get rid of that sad feeling he didn't spare a glance at his friend as he went through the whole collection until he decided on one. 

“Alright, thank you! See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, see ya”

It wasn't until hours later after a shitty round of Minecraft that he decided to call it a day and rest his poor eyes from the TV screen. He went to lie on his bed but first, he selected a random disc to play, using it as a lullaby now that he didn’t have Baekhyun to talk to, he couldn’t enjoy his soothing voice or puppy sounds anymore. It wasn’t late anyways, but spending the whole day with Baek meant using up all of his energy because of the many activities he comes up with. They looked like 15-year-old boys trapped in 18-year-old bodies.

It was then that he wondered what vinyl Baekhyun could have chosen because he's the type that likes to hear every and any kind of music and he always ends up suggesting to play the oldest disc in the collection.

And… Oh no. _Love Over Gold_ wasn't there.

**_The_** disc.

  
  
THE disc wasn't there.

“No… nononononono, _no!_ ” It was at that moment that Park Chanyeol knew he was royally screwed. So, so screwed.

Baekhyun didn’t call him, didn’t text him at all that night. But ok, trying to remain optimistic, he tried to convince himself that maybe the envelope didn’t even fall out of the vinyl sleeve. Maybe Baekhyun hasn't seen—or worse, read the letter. Maybe he could do something to stop that from happening.

He needed to get that damn vinyl back before Baekhyun could play it, so he quickly grabbed another one before stepping out of his house. 

He rang the bell, all fidgety and very anxious, trying not to pass out. The air came back to his lungs not long after when Baekbeom opened the door. 

“Really? You two spent all the weekend together, dude”

“Hi, uh… I just came to give this to him”

Baekbeom sighed. “Come in”


	5. Chapter 5

In the house across the street, a brunette boy was quietly looking at the most precious letter he had ever read in his life, written for _him_ by none other than the boy he's been crushing on for a couple of months now.

It started slowly. He was amazed every time his neighbor gave cookies to Ryong even when he kept sneezing like crazy. Since then he vowed to brush his dog's hair more often so there wouldn't be so many hairs floating around when he played with Chanyeol, and now more than ever because they were getting along so well, to the point of Chanyeol and Jongin inviting him to every basketball match. Soon he noticed that instead of eight bottles of water there were ten, counting him and his brother now that they became part of that small group of neighbors, even if Baekhyun himself didn't participate in the matches.

He doesn't even know when it happened. Despite having broken his lip a year ago with a frisbee, Chanyeol always reassuringly said it wasn't entirely his fault. Also, when he gave him the autographed t-shirt, Chanyeol surprised him when he told him that he had it framed and hung it in his room. All the details about Chanyeol kept piling up to the point where there was no turning back and Baekhyun’s world was already upside down, with Park Chanyeol being the only thing in his mind. He slowly but surely fell in love with that smile that seemed to reach the sky and his pointed ears that made him want to bite them.

But he had his doubts. Should he confess and then flee to Seoul like a coward? Should he just text him and respond to his letter in a more modern way? In fact, did he have to respond at all? Chanyeol would have figured out he would read his letter when he grabbed the disc, right? It was intentionally placed there, _right?_

Oh, man. 

Still, he didn’t want to deal with any of it right now. He had the rest of the night to think of a plan to reply, to let his friend know that he felt the same, that he saw the letter, and how thrilled he was to know his feelings were reciprocated.

In a life full of bad luck such as his, this occurrence of events was surprising, not feeling completely comfortable with everything going his way. Being admitted to Law school, moving to Seoul, and then having his crush “confess” to him… Baekhyun wanted to scream because clearly nothing could be this good and perfect, he was already waiting for the painful plot twist.

With his heart beating like crazy in his chest, he hugged the letter like it was his most valued treasure. Then he hugged his dog who was lying on the floor with him, trying to suppress a squelching sound.

“Ryong, do you think he knows… that I like him too?”

Someone knocked on his door—his brother never did that.

  
  
“Hey, are you dressed?”

  
  
“What is it?”

“Your boyfriend is here, jackass” Baekbeom laughed and Baekhyun never moved so fast in his short life. He removed the disc from the vinyl player right away, hurting himself in his attempt at being quick but still careful. He placed it back in its case followed by the letter. He couldn't let Chanyeol know that he just read it.

And oh my god. Why did his brother have to call him _his boyfriend_?! Why did he have to make things so complicated? He didn't know.

Baekhyun was furiously blushing when he opened his room’s door, finding an equally flustered Park Chanyeol.

In a tiny little voice, his friend greeted him. “Hi”

“Hi! I’m sorry, my brother is such a pain in the ass sometimes”

“I don’t mind”

“W-What are you doing here?”

“Uh, do you have… um, my dad-my dad asked for that disc you took just now and… I brought you this one instead, Revolve by The Beatles, it’s even better than the one you got there, let's switch?”

“Sure, I…” Ryong interrupted him by making his way in between them, demanding Chanyeol's attention with his barking. “Ryong! You're gonna wake up my parents, stop it”

He was quick to move, going to pick up the disc off the floor. During the exchange, their hands softly touched and both stopped moving, refusing to look at each other’s eyes. Chanyeol was the first one to move away.

“I’ll get going. Sorry, I’ll lend you this one when dad doesn’t need it anymore”

“Sure, okay. No problem”

“Bye…”

With a long and tender kiss on the cheek, Baekhyun bid his farewell to the most adorable boy in the world. _His_ world.

“Bye, Chanyeol”

* * *

After that traumatic experience, Chanyeol doubted he would be able to sleep the rest of the night, or the rest of his days maybe. He knew Baekhyun was totally listening to the disc because he was able to hear the melody, faint but clear, from outside of his bedroom.

“This fucking—damn vinyl"

But he was determined. He wanted to wait no more, enough of keeping his feelings hidden. With so little time left and Baekhyun leaving soon for his studies, all more the reasons to get a grip and finally be brave.

But he couldn't get to Baekhyun without some plan in life, could he? He didn't even know what to study yet and he still had to apply for an athletic scholarship, because he didn't see himself working in an office, bored, rotting away in a desk. Did Baekhyun like losers? But most important: Did Baekhyun like _men_? That last question was eating him alive.

He had to at least try to build up courage and start being a man. 

Eventually, it was Jongin and Kyungsoo’s turn to help him with Baekhyun. It was really hard for him to admit to his best friend that he had feelings for his neighbor, but he had no idea how to take the first step so he was in great need of help. 

Back to the sleepovers, the three of them were on Chanyeol’s bedroom making a fuss because his parents were out having dinner. His sister was on vacation so, in the meantime, they had the house to themselves.

When he finally confessed he liked Baekhyun, Jongin almost punched him. 

“I fucking knew it!” Jongin screamed for the whole world to hear… or maybe his goal was to make Baekhyun hear.

“Shut up! He's going to hear you!” Chanyeol went into full panic mode because Jongin could be a little shit and a little bit too loud sometimes. 

“Oh, sorry, are you afraid that BAEKHYUN MIGHT HEAR THAT YOU LOVE HIM!”

“YES, SO SHUT UP OR I’M GOING TO FUCKING PUNCH YOU!”

Just as Baekhyun and he did back then when they helped Jongin, they were once again on a mission to come up with the best idea to finally profess his eternal love to his neighbor. Sing a song? His voice was raspy. Dedicate a basketball match to him? That wasn’t romantic... Shout it out to him from his window, as suggested by Jongin? That was embarrassing! 

“Why don’t you give him a letter?” Kyungsoo added then. “It worked pretty well with me, that was pretty nice”

“Yeah but, does Baekhyun like letters? At least I knew you always listen to cheesy-ass songs”

The heat started raising through Chanyeol’s body, remembering _that one letter_ that almost ruined his life. “I actually…”

Jongin gasped. “Don’t tell me you wrote one for him already”

“I did it! What’s wrong with that?!”

“The neighborhood’s trip to the beach is soon. Why don’t you confess there?”

“That _does_ sound romantic!”

* * *

The beach trip came in no time and Chanyeol’s guts were about burst. On the bus, he got to sit with Baekhyun because his sister, Yoora, kicked him out and Baekbeom gave up his seat saying he didn’t want his brother to complain all the trip about not sitting with his boyfriend. 

“Would you stop making me look bad! He’s my friend, why can’t I sit with him?! I enjoy his company more than yours! Cut it out already!” Baekhyun shouted for the whole bus to hear, making the other neighbors look at him like he grew three more heads. Nevertheless, after making a scene, Baekhyun angrily sat by Chanyeol’s side, pretty close actually. 

He had never seen Baekhyun that upset. The silence in the bus was uncomfortable, and even Jongin approached the seat to ask his friend if he was all right. 

"Yes, don't worry, it's just that he's been bothering me a lot lately and it’s pissing me off. He can’t learn the art of keeping his mouth shut”

“Hey, don't worry. Yoora makes me angry too sometimes.”

“Yes, and my sisters are really something” Jongin added.

It took them a couple more minutes to get Baekhyun to calm down, who looked like he was about to cry because of how upset he was. 

Once the bus was on its way, they were in a sudden but comfortable silence for the first half-hour of the trip. Baekhyun did not seem to want to talk, so Chanyeol put on his headphones to relax with some music. After all, it was a long drive. 

Baekhyun was uncomfortable. His brother was close to his seat and he didn’t want to deal with him later. He tapped Chanyeol on his shoulder to get his attention. “Chanyeollie, can we switch seats so I can be by the window?” He didn't have to say more since Chanyeol was already getting up to switch places.

Again there was silence for a while until a little touch on his leg made him turn his face to Baekhyun. 

“Chanyeollie...”

“Yeah?"

“Can I... Can I lie my head on your shoulder?”

Chanyeol held back his breath for a second. “Y-yes… of course”

Baekhyun simply huddled against Chanyeol, holding one of his arms, and then he decided he wanted a real hug. What his friends didn't know was that Baekbeom was already beginning to suspect that his brother liked Chanyeol more than a friend. Also because Ryong stayed home with his parents this time.

He hugged him tightly and let Chanyeol embrace him back. After all, they were friends and they could do that, right? He wanted to cry in the arms of the culprit, but he didn't want to lose his dignity yet. Baekhyun decided that he should finally confess the truth to his brother while he fell asleep in the arms of his beloved.

* * *

The most difficult part of the journey arrived very soon. The idea was to make a confession to Baekhyun on the same day that they arrived at the beach and they would watch the sunset together, just like the first time they were there almost a year ago. However, the first day at the hotel Baekhyun decided that he wanted to stay in his room.

He tried to talk to Baekbeom, asking why Baekhyun was acting that way on his last vacation there.

“He'll tell you when the time is right, bud. Don't worry. Let him be upset.”

Baekbeom was right. 

Even though he was worried about not getting a response from Baek, he understood that he should give him his space, after all, he never knew this side of him.

**Chanyeol** **  
**_I hope you feel better tomorrow._ _  
__I love you, Baekhyunnie_

He sent the message without much faith that he would get an answer, but he was hopeful that perhaps he would at least read it. Besides, it was also the first time he told him he loved him. It's not like that was uncommon for him. He was always telling Jongin, and this was the time to show Baekhyun that he had another faithful friend.

On day two he tried to reach Baekhyun at the buffet—his friend seemed to be in a better mood. They played volleyball that afternoon and stayed on the beach all day. Baekhyun refused to say a word about the previous day and he decided not to pressure him, because whether he liked it or not, Baek owed him no explanation.

By the third day, Chanyeol was already going crazy, feeling this latent need to shout out to the sea and to Baekhyun how much he loved him and wanted to be there for him through thick and thin, to hold him tightly like he did back in the bus, and then whisper softly in his ear that everything was alright.

The problem was that yelling was going to scare Baekhyun and the rest would be history.

On day four, he decided that he had enough.

“Hey, Baek… Would you like to go watch the sunset with me today?” Chanyeol asked at lunch while Baekbeom and Jongin were busy attacking the buffet for the second time.

A slice of meat almost killed Baekhyun or maybe a certain giant’s request was what made him choke on his lunch.

“Sure!” A painful cough. “I want to stay in the hotel room tho, I’m all sunburned and shit, but going outside for a bit won’t hurt, right?”

"Yeah, and the sun will be going down, probably feeling sorry for having burned you so much" What nonsense was he saying... But Baekhyun seemed to like it, with the little giggle he let out at his atrocious flirting attempt. 

Baekhyun’s mind was screaming _cute_ as he nodded.

“I’ll pick you up then”

He held onto his promise. He got dressed up for the occasion, instead of presenting himself with no shirt, only swim trunks like he’s been doing for the past four days, he actually wore a bottom-up shirt and white bermudas, he also tried to style his wild black hair. The moment Baekhyun opened the door and his heart jumped in delight, he looked adorable covered from head to toe, with one of those bucket hats he gifted him to complete the look.

  
  
“You can never be too sure, okay? My skin really hurts” he admitted with the most adorable pout. Someone explain Chanyeol how he didn’t die right then and there. But no, he couldn’t die before he confessed.

They had a pleasant walk to the beach, making jokes about Baekhyun’s sensitive skin and Chanyeol’s dry scalp. They even stole an umbrella to stick into the sand to protect themselves from the intense heat of July, along with a towel to sit on and avoid having sand stuck all over their legs. The setting was nice, satisfying, just like in those cheesy movies he enjoyed watching with him.

And then, the moment of truth. 

Sweaty hands and quickly raising anxiety weren’t helpful for the upcoming situation he had in mind. Chanyeol just had to give the letter to Baekhyun. That was it. Then he had to wait for his crush to read it and… reply to his letter, or say something. Reject him, maybe. Punch him in the face or give him a chance. One never knows.

“Baek…”

“Hm?”

“I’ve been meaning to tell you something since we got here...” 

Okay, Chanyeol, now or never.

With his nerves at their peak, Chanyeol finally retrieved the letter from the inside of the fanny pack he carried with him to avoid crumpling it. He wanted to keep the piece of paper where he poured all his feelings safe. 

He counted to three in his mind and then extended his hand to give the letter to the other boy. What Chanyeol didn’t know was that Baekhyun recognized the envelope right away and as soon as he caught sight of it he revived the feelings he had the night he read those beautiful words directed at him; inside Baekhyun’s head, he was already kissing Chanyeol and telling him he loved him too. But getting back to the present moment, he still took the letter. He wanted to get his hands on that letter again to read it as much as he wanted, to reassure and remind himself that there was someone in that world who was eager to love him endlessly. Someone who was open to love him selflessly. Someone Baekhyun himself was willing to love back.

  
  
It was Baekhyun’s turn to let out all those bottled up feelings he had been pushing away all this time. But first... “I already know what it says” 

“W-What?”

“I... read your letter, I found it before we exchanged discs the other day”

Baekhyun finally gathered the courage to confess the secret he doubted he could keep for one more week. He was going crazy since he knew Chanyeol felt the same way and even more now that he was finally trying to tell him about his feelings. 

Chanyeol went crazy as well but for different reasons. So Baekhyun already knew about how he felt about him all this time? But if he had known all along and he didn’t say a thing, did that mean…?

Oh my god, he even fucking said “I love you” over a text. Baekhyun probably was thinking he was a freak! He suddenly couldn’t stop blinking, his ears on fire and his heart about to come out right through his mouth. _Again._

Their old friend called silence made an opportune visit. Baekhyun was persistently biting one of his thumbs while trying to come up with the best way to continue, he knew Chanyeol was waiting for his answer.

“And…” Chanyeol started then, dreading the response. Every second still in doubt felt like an eternity.

Baekhyun faintly jumped on the spot, “Yeah?”

“How do you feel about it?”

They looked at each other for a few long, never-ending seconds. 

Baekhyun took the initiative to come closer, which caught Chanyeol off guard for a moment, but then the world seemed to stop when their lips met and they tasted each other for the first time. Both began to move their lips in a subtle and respectful way in an attempt to contain a year of repressed feelings. Soon Baekhyun took the lead to open his mouth wider and move toward him, pressing his mouth harder against his.

And at that moment, Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun fell in love with each other for the thousandth time. When they broke the kiss, they just knew they couldn’t be away from each other anymore.

“I’ve been waiting to do that for so long…” Chanyeol whispered against his lips, cupping Baekhyun’s face between his palms.

Baekhyun took a breath, a smile spreading across his face only for Chanyeol to see. 

“Me too”


	6. Chapter 6

They were in the middle of summer vacations when they had their first date. 

It wasn’t planned. It started as a double date with Jongin and Kyungsoo, but his best friend’s stomach suddenly rejected the food, as usual, and the couple had to leave before they could get to the movies. Chanyeol was still nervous about going out with Baekhyun alone like that. 

Funny, considering that the two of them now spent more time alone together in their room. Jongin was now busy with his relationship with Kyungsoo while also preparing for the medical school exams, so he barely had time to visit him or go out with them, but he was always available through text whenever he needed him. 

Once the movie was over they came back home holding hands and since it was pretty late they didn’t mind kissing the hell out of each other on Chanyeol’s door, not even caring about nosy neighbors that could tell on them, they had nothing to hide anyway. Yoora went back to her dorm and their parents were visiting his grandma for the weekend. Chanyeol wanted to _seize the moment._

“Wanna come in? My parents… aren't home” Chanyeol didn’t realize the weight of his words until they came out of his mouth. “I mean! We can watch another movie or something or-”

Baekhyun shut him up with a kiss.

“Yes, I wanna come in”

His words gave way to soft, loving caresses between the two boys deeply in love with each other.

Their first time wasn’t quite… perfect, but beautiful in all ways. He discovered that his favorite sound in the world was the sighing and moaning that came out of Baekhyun's mouth when he kissed his neck or the brief groans that came to the surface as he ran his wide palm across his broad chest. 

Then the escapades every night began. It was dangerous, especially when Baekhyun wanted to get handsy in the middle of a movie and his bedroom door was wide open.

The rest of the summer was pretty much the same. Baekhyun and Chanyeol. Chanyeol and Baekhyun. He got to meet Baekhyun’s friends again and have a good time without any fake excuse or irrational jealousy—there was no need to, Baekhyun reassured him.

Life started to move much faster in an instant as if time was telling them it was time to get out of that fairy tale and it soon slapped them with the reality of adult life.

First Baekhyun moved to Seoul with Baekbeom, who had to leave Ryong behind because the dormitory was too small and the landlord did not allow pets. His boyfriend was devastated, and even Chanyeol shed tears when he saw him saying goodbye to his dog, even more dramatically than when he said goodbye to _him_. 

Baekhyun started his law career while Chanyeol decided to pursue a sports-oriented path—that was his biggest passion after all. He managed to get the athletic scholarship he had been aiming for and followed them not long after when he was told he had an extensive basketball training program waiting for him in Seoul. Baekhyun offered his little apartment even after all the complaining he got from his brother, who said he didn’t want to put up with them. But Baekhyun won in the end.

“I don’t wanna hear weird noises in the middle of the night or I’ll kick you both out of here”

When Jongin had to come to the city, they decided to take him in too to stay together. But their poor apartment could not fit one more person so they started looking for a bigger apartment to move to, one with more rooms. Along with a bigger home came Ryong too, who could finally move in with them thanks to the larger space and the less strict landlord. Since there were a lot of people now, the number of cuddles and treats for Ryong also increased, like a spoiled kid. 

Kyungsoo joined them six months later. That way, they managed to keep their little group together amidst adult life. 

Eventually, the floor was becoming too cramped with five people, but they still could manage. Chanyeol didn't even spend a lot of time there since he was constantly required to travel around the country for professional matches, at times he came back to the dorm only to sleep and to remind Baekhyun to sleep from time to time too. Also, moral support. 

Chanyeol promised to work hard to get a beautiful house for themselves in the future.

The beach trips continued every following year until tired minds and aching bodies no longer allowed them to make the effort to travel back just to spend a few days at the beach, but they still visited their parents for every holiday.

Slowly each of them found their own path. Baekbeom majored in business and got an offer to work overseas for a couple of months. Jongin was the next one to move out when he started an internship on the other side of the city and Kyungsoo followed him when he finished his studies to become an elementary teacher. 

And then it was just the two of them, and Ryong of course. 

When things started to pick up, Chanyeol didn’t know what else to do. He was happy, right where he wanted to be, he had a boyfriend with whom he was deeply in love, he had an amazing job that allowed him to travel to other cities and countries he could have never imagined he would be able to visit. Even if being a professional basketball player had its pros and cons, he could put up with all of it.

But it was time to settle down. He knew there was no way he would ever be able to think of someone that wasn’t Baekhyun, he had no intention of falling in love with anyone else but him.

For their fifth anniversary, he planned a little vacation to the beach they always visited during their yearly trips. The beach that witnessed how their love story began, blossomed and deepened. 

Sitting on the fine sand there was Park Chanyeol, shirtless and wet from playing around in the sea, now watching his boyfriend collect some seashells, wearing a cute bucket hat—an obsession that has withheld the passing of the years, and covered in a ridiculous amount of sunblock. Ryong was also busy playing with the waves, barking, and jumping everywhere. He was ready to enjoy that view for the rest of his life.

When it was time to watch the sunset, Baekhyun sat next to him as Ryong continued enjoying the sea for them. His boyfriend had his head on his shoulders and Chanyeol pressed his head against his. Still, that wasn’t close enough for him and he moved Baekhyun so he could sit in between his legs and rest his back against his chest as he hugged him from behind. _Perfect._

“Do you remember that special dinner my parents made for me at my graduation? You still owe me that”

“Do you really still remember that? It’s been years” Chanyeol started kissing his neck non-stop, soon too busy bruising his boyfriend’s skin with slight love bites.

“I have a really good memory and you weren’t even sick. You were just a selfish prick, love”

“What if I still am?”

“I’m afraid I have no other choice but to love this selfish prick”

“Do you know what I _do_ remember though? This is where you broke my lip with that frisbee”

“Right... That was so funny, not gonna lie”

“And” Chanyeol continued, “where we confessed to each other” 

“We’re disgustingly cheesy” Baekhyun deeply sighed. “Chanyeol… you know. There's no way I could be happy if you weren’t around. I mean, I don’t know… but I am so happy to be with you”

Baekhyun removed himself from the embrace to face him.

“Baek-?”

“Shh. Let me talk, it’s important. I rehearsed it, okay?” Baek seems to be trying to remember what he’s going to say next and Chanyeol was just enchanted looking at him, admiring how he scrunched his button nose. 

Chanyeol kissed any doubt out of his mind before he started speaking again.

  
  
“See? I can be nervous as fuck and then you come and make me feel calm and secure and _you_ make me so happy… and you spoil me with bucket hats even when we both know I have more than enough for a lifetime.” He needed to crack a joke because he was getting too emotional all of a sudden and he did _not_ want to cry. Chanyeol was able to feel the seriousness of the situation too.

“And I…” He knew it was hard for Baekhyun to be expressing his feelings this way, so open and exposed, so he gave him as much time as he needed. “I am sure that it’s you with whom I want to spend for the rest of my life with and I refuse to ever be with anyone else that’s not _you_ …” before he continued, he reached back for the last thing he needed and almost forgot as he got carried away with his speech. A jewelry box he kept secured in one of their beach tote bags. 

“So Chanyeol…”

“Y-Yeah?” At that point, Chanyeol had already pieced everything together.

There’s a man on his knees, a beautiful sunset on the horizon, and an opened velvety box in said man’s hands. 

_“Will you marry me?”_

The smile on Baekhyun’s face was blinding.

The sunset became their witness, or more like a witness of how Chanyeol was going haywire because, Jesus fucking Christ, Byun Baekhyun was asking him to marry him! A life together with him. 

That’s when he remembered. Chanyeol was also going to give him an engagement ring. Instead of an answer, he opted for kneeling in front of his boyfriend and pulled out something from his swim trunks’ pocket, a wet plastic bag that protected an elegant ring box from getting ruined with water. When he opened the little box, a beautiful ring was presented to Baekhyun.

“I will marry you if you marry _me_ ” 


	7. Chapter 7

“And then Papa and I got married, got a beautiful house and then we adopted this precious little baby that’s you!” Chanyeol takes his son for a big hug and gives him a million kisses on his full, rosy cheeks.

“And you love me?”

“You, young man" Baekhyun is the one speaking now "are the love of our lives. You are our tiny little light”

“Our everything”

Sehun smile gets even wider “And Ryong too?”

“Of course! We also love Ryong very much”

Chanyeol laughs, amused by the whole situation. “Now, I'll go take this old buddy outside while you brush your teeth. We'll leave for school in fifteen minutes”

“Okay! I can’t wait to tell uncle Kyungsoo and my friends!”

Agh, his son… so enthusiastic about classes. Or maybe because he loved his teacher Kyungsoo endlessly, even sometimes Baekhyun felt a little jealous. And… from time to time Jongin got jealous of Sehun too, that brat.

“You know, baby, I think uncle Kyungsoo already knows our love story. He and uncle Jongin helped daddy, remember?”

“Then I’ll tell my friends only!”

Baekhyun slightly pats Sehun’s bum. “Alright then. Now, little one, let’s get ready to go” 

Amidst his little run to the bathroom, Sehun abruptly stops to face them back again. 

“Papa, Daddy… I also love you two very much!”

Nevermind. At the end of the day, their little blossom always chose them above everything.

“So, _Daddy_ …” Baekhyun suddenly sits on his lap, a flirty smirk on his face.

“Don’t call me that, I’ll be thinking weird things with you when Sehun calls me that way”

“Weak”

They hug each other tightly for a second “That got me... nostalgic, I love you”

“I love you, sweetheart”

“Now go take Ryong outside, I’ll go make sure that little rascal isn’t making a mess in the bathroom”

In those fifteen minutes in their backyard, Chanyeol’s mind is filled with thoughts about the old days, about how much he loves his little family. It’s clearly not the most perfect one, but with their ups and downs, he is extremely happy. He wants and plans to stay like this for many, many more years and he wouldn't trade it for anything. 

The universe blessed him in many ways and there’s nothing else for him to do but to be grateful with fate, which brought the love of his life to the house across the street years ago, or that Baekhyun’s big, white dog helped him take those little steps required to bring them to where they are today.

Ryong was with them from the very beginning, he’s been the only witness of their entire love story, of how Chanyeol and Baekhyun got their happily ever after. He’s their baby, Sehun’s big fluffy brother.

“Chanyeollie, it’s time to go!”

Baekhyun pulls him out of his daydreaming and soon he realizes that Ryong is nowhere to be seen. How on earth did that happen if he was right in front of him just a second ago? 

“Oh no”

How can Chanyeol lose him in such a small place? Now he has to find his dog and be even more late for training. What if Ryong got lost? What if it was _time_ and he ran away to die somewhere else? No, no, no.

He walks around until he circles his garden to get to the neighbor’s front garden, trying not to panic.

Ah, there it is.

Ryong, an old, almost deaf dog, doing its business right across the street.

“Baekhyun, honey! Ryong peed on the neighbor's fence again!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're here, thank you so so much for giving this a try. I loved this prompt the moment I saw it on the archive and had the whole plot planned from the start. I'm hoping this was an enjoyable reading and that you love all the characters as much as I do. ♡


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